Ever since 1988 when the very first John Madden Football (was shortened to Madden NFL in 1993) was released, the team at EA SPORTS Tiburon have been building game modes, control mechanics, and features to make hardcore football salivate for the yearly release of the game. This year Madden NFL’s motto of “True to the Game” will quench the thirst of gamers worldwide when it releases on August 30th, 2011 or August 26th, 2011 for EA SPORTS Season Ticket Subscribers. The first thing that I look at every year when Madden NFL releases is Game Play. I always get excited when I receive the game to open it up and put it through its paces. This year was no different as popped in the game to start my annual Franchise Mode. I began my first game in Franchise when something happened that made me literally forget about the Game Play. What was it that made me change my annual routine of pressing the button as fast as I can to get to the game? It is the all-new Presentation that EA SPORTS introduced this year, and I was simply BLOWN AWAY with the detail put into this year’s game. The revamped pre-game presentation features for the first time ever in Madden NFL, authentic entrances for all 32 NFL teams. Whether your team has a no frills introduction like the Steelers or an over the top entrance like the Broncos, the details are covered in Madden NFL 12.
It doesn’t stop there, once you get into a game, EA SPORTS takes the presentation to another level NFL Films style. Using EA’s proprietary camera capture technology, “DCAM”, Madden NFL 12 includes scenes shot by actual NFL Films cinematographers. Featuring 100 unique scenes that were filmed over a four day period, EA SPORTS Tiburon can produce close to 700 new virtual cameras in-game that matches precisely what you see on NFL Films productions. Madden NFL 12 also adds unprecedented On-Field Authenticity with hundreds of visual improvements including: player specific animations, new player equipment, uniforms and degradation that affects uniforms and helmets based on weather and field surface, and 3D Grass. As the motto says “True to the Game”, EA SPORTS Madden NFL 12 knocks it out of the park, and has The Best Presentation Package of Any Sports Game to Date! After being “blown away” by the all new Presentation in the game, I dug in to what really matters to any game, The Game Play. For many of the NCAA Football 12 veterans out there, you have already experienced the All-New Collision System and Zone Defense upgrades. For the players that didn’t pick-up NCAA Football 12, I’ll break down the new features for you.
The All-New Collision System allows you to maintain full control of players up to the point of impact. In the new system, tackles and blocks will only trigger once contact is actually made with the ball carrier or blocker. This virtually eliminates problems from the past games of suction, warping, or sliding into tackles or blocks. The new collision system also takes a player’s momentum into consideration when contact is being made. For example, if you have a smaller back like Reggie Bush running the ball up field and he gets hit head-on by a bigger defender like James Harrison, more than likely, Harrison’s momentum will cause Bush to fall backwards. The new system features 100 new tackle animations including 40 different gang tackles. The next improvement to this year’s Game Play is the revamped Zone Defense. Madden NFL 12 includes more than 100 defensive A.I. enhancements resulting in the smartest Madden defense ever in a NFL game. The new Zone A.I. logic make the defenders play their responsibilities for each zone assignment. An example, if you have a Linebacker playing a “Hook Zone” in a passing situation, they will pick-up receivers as the pass through their zone and point them out to teammates as the receiver moves into another zone. Another new Game Play feature that is in Madden NFL for the first time on this generation of systems is, Custom Playbooks. Custom Playbooks have been the #1 most requested feature by fans and Madden Comunity in recent years.
Using a Custom Playbook, you can build the ultimate Game Plan by modifying an existing Playbook or creating your own from scratch from up to 400 plays in 75 different Playbooks. Custom Playbooks can be used offline, in any Play Now game, and in Ranked Online games. This new feature even allows you to integrate your custom playbook into a game plan for use with the GameFlow system that was introduced in Madden NFL 11. EA SPORTS has improved the GameFlow system from last year allowing you to execute an authentic and situational game plan customized to your play style. Last but most certainly not least is the all-new Tackle Button and Pump Fake. The new Tackle Button (“X” button) guides the defender towards the ball carrier. With suction tackling no longer in the game, the tackle button is very important helping the user wrap up and bring down the ball carrier. The key here is the timing of when to use the button, if you time it right the defender will take the ball carrier down, and if you time it wrong you will likely lunge and miss the ball carrier completely. The Pump Fake has been in football games for years, but the new Pump Fake to a specific receiver is Exclusive to Madden NFL 12. To Pump Fake to a specific receiver, hold down the L-Trigger + the receiver icon to try and get a defender to bite on the Quarterback’s action. This is perfect for the new slant and go (“Sluggo”) cut that has been added to allow you to try and set up the defender and go over the top for a big play.
This feature review concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to read our final thoughts on EA Sports' Madden NFL 12.
